SLF! (All Cat Rose photos)
By Andy
If ever there were perfect punk-rock bookends, these surely put a stamp on that moniker.
Stiff Little Fingers rammed through the gate with a roaring "Suspect Device" ... blasted through 17 more stinging tunes and then finished things off with a banging "Alternative Ulster."
It was certainly one corker of an evening on May 17 at Revolution Hall in Portland, Oregon. I won't divulge the rest of the setlist as to not give anything away to those still waiting to see SLF on its current -- and final -- coast-to-coast USA tour. OK, I lied, there was a massive sing-along during "Gotta Gettaway" that put everyone's voices to the test. It was a fucking success!
One busted bus and another one that needed repairs would not halt this crucial "Hate Has No Home Here" tour, which also features fellow Northern Ireland musician Ricky Warwick lighting the fuse at the start. He cranked through a host of originals and a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak," which he's nailed down with that band and Black Star Riders.
All songs performed on this stellar evening contained immense amounts of passion and grit and plastered smiles on people's faces. Our formidable crew of friends and family from Seattle and Portland was fully immersed in the tunes that were bashed forth and it made for a memorable evening for us all.
So, thanks, Jake, Ali, Steve, Ian and Ricky.
All the best to ya!
** Here's some of Cat Rose's images from the gig ... and cheers to SLF for the photo pass:
STIFF LITTLE FINGERS
RICKY WARWICK
